Railroad-track construction.



H. E. & A. L. SCOTT:

RAILROAD TRACK CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18. 1916.

1,204; 98. Patented Nov. 7,1916.

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HARVEY E. SCQTT AND ABNER L. SCOTT, OF ALLEENE, ARKANSAS.

RAILROAD-TRACK CONSTRUCTION.

neonates.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Nov. 7, 1916.

Application fi led March 18, 1916. Serial No. 85,190.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, HARvnY E. Score: andABNER L. Sco'rr, citizens of the United States, residing at Alleene, inthe county of Little River and State of Arkansas, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Railroad-Track Construction, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in railroad track construction.

The primary object of the invention is to provide means whereby thespace between the opposed ends of the rails which is left to permit theexpansion and contraction of the rails will be materially reduced orcompensated for.

A further object of the invention is to provide blocks or short railsections for disposition between the opposed ends of the rails and toconnect the same with each other and with the rails, so that, when therails contract the blocks or short rail sections will be caused to movea slight, but predetermined distance, away from. each other and awayfrom the opposed ends of the rails, thereby decreasing the gap betweenthe rails and preventing the rolling stock which passes over the railsbeing subjected to the shock and jars which now ocour in the trackconstruction now in common use.

A still further object of the invention is to so arrange and connect theshort rail sections which are disposed between the op posed ends of'therails that rain or snow which may gain access between said sections uponfreezing will-be enabled to expand without loosening the connectionsbetween the short rail sections and the opposed ends'of the rails.

A further object of the invention is to provide blocks or short railsections for disposition between the opposed ends of the rails which maybe supported by the angle.

plates connecting the rails in such a manner,

as to cause the tops of said blocks to lie flush with the-tops of therails.

A still further object of the invention is to provide blocks or shortrail sections for disposition between the opposed ends of the railswhich are so constructed that members for connecting the blocks or shortrail sections with each other and with the opposed ends of the railswill be covered by the angle plates connecting the rails.

With these and other objects in view the invention residesin the novelcombination and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafterdescribed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The preferred form of the invention has been illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, although no restriction is necessarily made to theprecise details of construction therein shown, as changes, alterationsand modifications within the scope of the appended claims may beresorted to when so desired.

1 Like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout theseveral views in the drawing, in which:

.Figure 1 is a perspective view of the meeting ends of two railroadrails and showing the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the meeting ends of two railroad rails with the angle plateremoved therefrom and showing the blocks in spaced relation with, eachother and with the ends of the rails. Fig. 3 is a horizontallongitudinal sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. a is avertical transverse sectional view on the line 4l of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is adetail perspective view of one of the blocks or short rail sections.

Referring now to the drawing in detail. rail sections 1 and 2 aresupported upon a base plate 3 with their opposed ends in spacedrelation, said plate. being secured to ties 4 by means of spikes 5received in notches 6 at the side edges of the base plate 3.

The rail sections 1 and 2 which are of the type now in common use havepassing through the spaced openings 7 in the webs thereof bolts 8 whichare also received in the elongated slots 10 in angle plates 11associated with the rail sections.

Bracing plates 12 with the bolts 8 are arranged exteriorly of the angleplates 11 adjacent their ends, said bracing plates having formed thereinopenings 13 which receive the portions of the bolts 8 which projectbeyond the angle platesll. The plates 12 not only serve to brace thebolts 8 but are so arranged as to cover the elongated openings 10 in theangle plates and exclude foreign matter therefrom.

The usual nuts 14k are threadedly engaged with the threaded ends of thebolts 8 and coact with the heads 9 thereon in retaining the plates 12 incontact with the angle plates and'the angle plates in contact with therail sections.

Through the above described arrangement of the angle plates, railsections, and bolts, it will be seen with reference to the variousfigures in the drawing, that the rail sections may expand and contractwithin the angle plates which are held from movement by means of spikes15 driven lnto the cross-tics 4: and received in the openings 16 in thelower edges of said plates which register with similar openings in thebase plate 3.

Blocks 17, 18, and 19 which correspond with the shape of the rails andfor this rea son have been termed short rail sections are disposedbetween the opposed ends of the rails and received between the angleplates 11 between which said blocks or short rail sections may be movedlongitudinally within the space between the opposed ends of the railsections.

Each short rail section comprises a head 20, web 21, and a base 22, withthe base 22' of each block: or short rail section resting uponthe baseplate 53 and the underside oi thehea'd of said section contacting withthe" upper edge of the angleplate 11, so that said blocks or short railsections are efiectually supported by the angle plates 11 to preventvertical movement ofthe same when in contact with the wheels of rollingstock.

The webs 21 of each block or short rail section are of the samethickness as the web plates upon opposite sides of the rail sections.

A pin 25 extends laterally from the web of each block or short railsection at a point equi-distant from the head and base thereof, saidpins contacting with the inner face 01 the angle plates to preventcasual displacement from the pins of links which will now be described.a

Links 26 and '27 for connecting the blocks or short rail sections witheach other and with the rail sections are arranged upon opposite sidesofthe railsections and blocks within the fishing spaces 24.

' The links 27 are arranged in pairs upon opposite sides ofthe blocks orshort rail sections, with each link in each pair of links ing a pin 25on the block or short rail section 18 and provided near itsother endwith an elongated slot 28 receiving a pin 25 on an adjacent block orshort rail section.

The links 26 are arranged in pairs at the ends of the rail sections 1and 2, with each link in each pair of links having near one end anopening 29 receiving a bolt 8 passing through the rail section and'angleplates 11, the other end of the link having an elongated slot 29receiving a pin 25 on an ad'- jacent block or short rail section.

Through the above described arrangement or" the links 26 and 27, it willbe seen that the blocks or short rail sections, are connected with eachother and with the rail seecontraction of the, rail sections 1 and 2which are free to move longitudinally of the angle plates 11, the endsof the slots in the' links 27 will be brought into contact w'iththejpins25 on the blocks or short rail sect-ions 17 and.

19, thereupon the movement of the rail sections 1 and 2 longitudinallyof the angle plates will cause the short railsections 17 and 19 to bemoved with relation to the'section 18, so that, a-slight space is formedbe-; tween the short rail section and the opposing ends of the rails.

.l Vhen the rail sections-1 pand they first contact withthe sections 17and 19, and upon further expansion of said rail sections the blocks orshort rail sections 17 and 19 will be moved by therails into contactwith the shortrail section 18 thereby eliminating the space between theblocks or short rail sections and the opposing ends of the rails 1 and2.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as newisza V 1. Thecombination with two connected rails, of members arranged between therail ends, links connected with said members and rails and actuated bythe contracting of the rails" to move said members an equal distanceaway from-each'other and from the ends or the rails. i

2. Thecombination'withtwo rails having opposing ends,- of membersarranged be tween the rail ends and alining' with the] and 2 againexheads of the rails, and meansconnected i with the rails and themembers and ac'tuated by the contracting of the was for moving;

said members an equal distance away from each other and fromthe-en'ds ofthe" rails,

and angle plates connected with the rails and contacting with saidmembers to support the same.

3. The combination with two rails having opposing ends in spacedrelation, of a plurality of members interposed between the ends of therails and provided with heads alining with the heads of the rails, angleplates connected with the rails and contacting with the heads on thesaid members and providing a guideway in which said members may slide,and means connected with said members and the ends of the rails forimparting a sliding movement thereto when said rails contract or expand.

4-. The combination with two rails having opposing ends in spacedrelation, of a plurality of members interposed between the opposing endsof the rails, pins carried by said members, angle bars connected withthe rails and having their inner faces contacting with the pins to holdsaid members in alinement and slotted links connected with said membersand rails whereby said rails upon expanding or contracting may moveindependently of said members.

5. The combination with two rails having opposing ends in spacedrelation, of a plurality of members interposed between the opposing endsof the rails, and each comprising a head, a base and a web connectingsaid base, pins extending laterally from the web on each member, slottedlinks connected with the members and rails adapted to communicatesliding movement to the members when the rails expand or contract, andgrooved angle plates connecting the rails and contacting with the pinson the members and coacting with the webs on the rails and members toprovide a housing for said links.

6. The combination with two rails having opposing ends in spacedrelation, of members disposed between said ends, pins extendinglaterally from said members, links connected with said pins and railswith some of said links provided with slots receiving said pins wherebysaid members may move independently of each other upon expansion orcontraction of the rails.

7. The combination of two rails having opposing ends in spaced relation,a plurality of alined members interposed between the ends of said rails,pins on said members, slotted links connected with said members wherebyupon expansion and contraction of the rails the members may be moved inspaced relation, and bolts passing through the ends of the rails andconnected with the links on the end members to enable the rails tocontract or expand without communicating movement to the alined members.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

HARVEY E. SCOTT. ABNER L. SCOTT.

Witnesses:

H. PATTON, J. W. MILLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C.

